Welsh celebrities, sports stars and well known personalities have been using Twitter and other media to issue new year greetings.

Welsh celebrities, sports stars and well known personalities celebrities, sports stars and well known personalities have been using Twitter and other media to issue new year greetings.

BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, 51, who grew up in Llangennech near Llanelli tweeted: “Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i bawb. A very happy New Year to everyone. May it bring good health and happiness.”

One Show host Alex Jones, 25, from Ammanford, who spent New Year’s Eve in Wales, used her Twitter account to announce: “A very happy and healthy new year to all. Xxx “

Cardiff’s Charlotte Church tweeted: “Happy New Year!!! May this next one have exponential growth in love and peace.”

Singer songwriter, broadcaster and author Cerys Matthews who grew up in Swansea and Pembrokeshire added: “Here's to a peaceful 2013 with some ace food and music...”

Owain Yeoman, 34, from Chepstow, now an established TV star in the USA having appeared in every episode of the long running hit CBS show The Mentalist, tweeted to his followers, who number more than 53,000: “To all my tweeps have the safest and happiest of New Year celebrations. Thanks for a great 2012 and here's to an even better 2013!” Swansea City’s free scoring Spanish striker Michu tweeted this simple New Year’s message: “Believe in yourself!!!!”

Katherine Jenkins has been spending the New Year at home with her family in Neath.

She explained in an interview:”It is very traditional, we have our same old routine, and I love that and I wouldn't change it for the world.”

The singing star has had a hectic time in 2012 being the runner-up in US TV show Dancing with the Stars, going on the road with her Daydream Theatre tour and releasing her festive album This is Christmas.

The 32-year-old said:”It has been a crazy year but this is the time I always go back to Wales and do the same thing.”

Next page: Bonnie Tyler

Singing star Bonnie Tyler who has homes in Mumbles, Swansea and in Portugal, helped Germany rock in the New Year.

She was at a major concert at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate co-starring with the Pet Shop Boys and Blue.

The German capital welcomed around a million visitors whereas a two-kilometre long party stretched from the historical gate to the Victory Column (Siegessäule), with three stages along the route to accompany 19 bands and musicians.

The Swansea-born outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams used his final New Year’s message to pay tribute to people whose unsung efforts and sacrificial generosity help to transform lives and build communities.

In the message, broadcast yesterday on the BBC, the eleventh he has done since taking office in 2002, the Archbishop drew on the experience of the London Olympics to illustrate what it took to make the games so successful:

He said: “Everyone who visited the Olympic site or watched the broadcasts will have been made aware of the army of volunteers who cheerfully gave up their free time and worked away, without complaint, all hours of the day and night to make these great events happen.

“They were the key people who translated the Olympic vision into reality for the rest of us.”

Similar things are happening in many communities, he said, pointed to the work of London churches in caring for the disadvantaged.

He said: “Over twenty local churches are combining to offer food and shelter to homeless people in London.

“Religion here isn’t a social problem or an old-fashioned embarrassment, it’s a wellspring of energy and a source of life-giving vision for how people should be regarded and treated.”

This kind of contribution, he said, explained why so many of the things which work well in communities came from the hard work and selfless generosity of ordinary people who wanted to make things happen.

He said: “If you have the good fortune to live in a community where things seem to be working well the chances are that if you slip backstage you’ll find an army of cheerful people making the wheels go round - and don’t forget just what a huge percentage of them come from the churches and other faith groups.

“So let’s recognise this steady current of generosity that underlies so much of our life together in this country and indeed worldwide. It’s all based on one vision - to make our society, our whole world, work for everyone, not just the comfortable and well off.”